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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · charge · foot · staff · racket · net · band · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. clip — for paper
  4. season — of the year
  5. net — for catching
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. charge — a price
  8. staff — employees
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. staff — employees
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — in control
  13. clip — to cut
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. foot — a measure
  16. net — after costs
  17. band — a music group
  18. season — in sport
  19. charge — electricity
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. staff — a stick
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. band — a ring
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com